Kia ora Rebel,
Thank you for your continued interest in Extinction Rebellion (XR) and for signing up to receive this newsletter!
April 15-22nd is XR’s International Week Of Action. All around the globe people will be rising up to demand action on Climate Change.
First up, the most important information to get involved with your local branch:
Our weekly meeting takes place every Saturday from 11am to 1pm at Stillwaters Community at 327 Willis St, Te Aro. From 11am to 11.30am we will take time to welcome newcomers and answer questions about XR. From 11.30am onwards, we’ll be discussing XR business and logistics (you are welcome to stay on).
Extinction Rebellion’s three demands are:
- Governments tell the truth about the ecological crisis
- Zero emissions and drawdown by 2025
- Participatory democracy including peoples assemblies for climate
It’s an awesome opportunity to be involved in the struggle for a better future – a liveable future – for us all, so we hope to see you at a meeting or an upcoming event.
Recaps:
March 27 Movie Night: Newtown Community Hall
Our first Movie Night started with a short segment from Dr Sea followed by the excellent ‘The Yes Men are Revolting’: a docco following actions of Andy Bichibaum and Mike Bonanno as they inject themselves into the national conversation using pranks and phony press releases.
This night was a great success; we picked up some new members, got some inspiration for future actions, and enjoyed some time together. We’re looking forward to more of these in the future.
March 31 CubaDupa Flashmob
Rhona came up with the idea of a choreographed version of REM’s “It’s the end of the world as we know it” and we performed it at CubaDupa. They’re right, as it happens, but the action went off without a hitch, the response to it was great and Rhona is keen to try more actions like this.
Upcoming Events:
The International Week of Action will see events happening all over the globe. Rebellion is collectively our last, best chance, and we are just getting started:
This type of rebellion is premised on extensive research that shows conclusively that if 3.5% of the population in any country is actively engaged in sustained resistance over a concentrated period of time, governments inevitably concede or collapse under the pressure. The research shows that governments simply can’t endure this many people engaging in serious disruption if it lasts for an extended period of time.
Here in Wellington you’ll see a number of things happening during the week. Here are the things you can get involved in.
Monday April 15: A Gathering of Rebels
7pm Rutherford Lecture Theatre 1, Victoria University
We start the week of action with a gathering of Kiwis who work for climate action. Anyone can attend this open night hosted by Dr Sea Rottman and including Dr James Renwick and speakers from the School Strikes, Forest and Bird, Greenpeace, 350 Aotearoa, Organise Aotearoa and Cycling Action Network. We will talk about Why we’re here, How we work for change and What we’re hoping to achieve. There is so much work to do, so we start by remembering that we’re not alone. Learn More
Wednesday April 17: Sour Milk
3PM – 4PM Parliament Grounds
There’s a sour side to our white gold. It’s time to face the people who profit from the destruction of clean waterways. Dress up as a cow and listen to fresh-water ecologist Mike Joy speak about industrial dairy farming and its impact on Papatūānuku. Join us in a cow onesie in front of the beehive to demand our government tell the truth about its water management practices and take action immediately to clean up our sour milk. Learn More
Saturday April 20: We Are the Rising Tide – The Human Wave
11 AM – 4 PM Waitangi Park
This is the big one! We’ll be creating a Human Wave in central Wellington to symbolise the effects of climate change. If you can, please come along dressed in blue, or bring marine creature costumes, or swimming gear with you. Let’s continue to show that ordinary people want strong action on climate change. The human wave will be gathering at Waitangi Park at Midday before moving through Wellington. We’ll wind up with a party in Frank Kitts Park. Learn More
